Tears, Blood, and Stakes
by The Hand of Omega
Summary: Dr. Van Helsing after the destruction on Lucy. WARNING! This is for the 1958 classic Hammer film, Horror of Dracula. Rated T for mentions of blood and stakings.


**Um… yeah. I had a Hammer Horror marathon a few days ago (for Halloween, XD), and I was inspired to write this after re-watching Horror of Dracula (my personal favorite of Hammer's list of grand achievments). Christopher Lee's Count kicks so much butt, it's not even funny. He is tied for the position of favorite Drac (Louis Jourdan, from the original 1977 BBC miniseries stands proudly beside him). **

**The spelling of a few of these names bugged me. Oh well. You all get the idea. **

… **Is anyone else really annoyed that the only place to post Dracula fanfiction is for Coppola's disaster? Please answer that in your reviews. I mean… they don't even have the book on the search options. **

Dr. Van Helsing sighed as he walked into the Holmwood home, putting his hat and coat on the rack beside the door. He had managed to wipe the blood from Lucy's staking off his hand, but there was still a light pink smear. He remembered when he had to stake Jonathan in Dracula's castle; the blood had gotten on his coat and shirt. The stain was almost unbearable.

He sat in the chair, and rubbed his temples. He hated stakings. He knew it was the right thing to do, to save the souls of the vampire victims, but when pounding away like a carpenter, hearing their every scream and feeling their every body spasm… he felt like a murderer.

He didn't want to know what went through Arthur's mind as he destroyed the vampire that used to be his sister. He didn't want to know what thought went through his head, what voices in his brain told him that Van Helsing was a murderer, a monster.

Van Helsing sighed again. Holmwood had asked to stay awhile at Lucy's grave, to mourn her properly. He had said that her funeral didn't count… she wasn't truly dead.

"Can I get you anything sir?'

Van Helsing jumped a little bit. Gerda, the Holmwood housemaid, was standing beside the chair. She looked sad; she still blamed herself for Lucy's death.

"No… no thank you Gerda." She started to turn around, when he realized he actually was a bit hungry. "Er… perhaps some tea and a biscuit?"

She gave a little nod and turned, paused, and turned to him again. There was a strange look in her eyes, one he couldn't quite place.

"Professor, beg your pardon, but… may I ask you a question?"

He straightened up . "Of course Gerda."

Gerda was silent for a moment. "… Miss Lucy was… Miss Lucy was murdered by a monster, wasn't she?"

Van Helsing was a little surprised. He had never mentioned anything to her about Dracula or the vampires… in fact he had only told Holmwood. He decided it was best that she didn't know.

"Why, whatever gave you that…"

"Please, professor, don't lie to me. My mother used to tell me stories when I was a little girl, perhaps Tayna's age. And Tanya described Miss Lucy to me…" Gerda took a deep breath. "She was… she was _nosferatu_, wasn't she?"

Van Helsing stared at her for a second. "… yes. Yes, she was a vampire. _Nosferatu. _The un-dead."

Gerda looked to the floor. Suddenly, tears began to trickle from her eyes and she started crying. "I killed her," she sobbed. "If I hadn't removed the garlic flowers…"

Van Helsing stood up and gently grabbed her by the shoulders. He sent his piercing gaze directly into her tear filled eyes. "Gerda… you were trying to help. I was wrong in not telling the Holmwoods that she was being attacked sooner. Perhaps if I had, Lucy would still be alive. It's my fault, not yours." He gave a small smile, and lifted her chin up a bit. "Now, how about you make the tea, enough for the both of us, and we'll have a nice little sitdown together. I'd like to hear more about your mother."

Gerda nodded, sniffed rather loudly, and returned the Professor's smile. "Yes sir." She then turned and left the room.

Van Helsing sat back down and leaned into the chair. He was exhusted, depressed, and had too much going on in his head. The worst combination of problems.

"… Professor Van Helsing?" a soft, tiny voice asked. He turned his head to look at Taina, Gerta's daughter.

"Yes my dear?" he said, immediately putting a more pleasant demeanor for her.

She walked to him, placing her small hand on his. She gave the blood stains a quick stare before looking into his eyes. They were niether sad, nor emotionless, but something in between.

"Is Auntie Lucy in Heavan now?" she asked.

He placed his other hand on top of hers, giving it a soft squeeze. He smiled. "Yes Taina. Yes, she is. And she will be up there, watching you everyday."

Taina contemplated this for a moment, before wrapping her arms around Van Helsing's neck. After a brief moment of shock, he embraced her in a warm hug.

"I hope she'll be happy," she said, starting to cry.

Van Helsing remembered the look of peace on Lucy's face after he staked her, the evil corruption seeded by Dracula gone forever.

"She is, my dear. She is."


End file.
